Department for Transport

Cycling: Accidents

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths and serious injuries of cyclists that were attributable to poorly maintained local roads in the last two years.

Andrew Jones: There were 99 pedal cyclist KSIs (killed or seriously injured casualties) in reported road accidents allocated the contributory factor “Poor or Defective road surface” on local roads (for England) or all non-motorway roads (for Scotland and Wales) from 2014 to 2015. A local road has been defined as a road maintained by the local authority. The following table shows the totals for each of the separate years, by road class: GBA1BOther2Total 2014168295320151153046 Total27135999 1 Includes A roads maintained by Transport Scotland and the Welsh Government.2 Includes C and unclassified roads. The contributory factors reflect the reporting officer’s opinion at the time of reporting and are not necessarily the result of extensive investigation. Moreover it is recognised that subsequent enquires could lead to the reporting officer changing their opinion. It is important to note where some factors may have contributed to a cause of an accident, it may be difficult for a police officer attending the scene after the accident has occurred to identify these factors. Only around 70-80 per cent of accidents a year are attended by police officers and have valid contributory factor information. Figures for 2016 will be available from June 2017.

Southern: Industrial Disputes

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received a request from Transport for London to fund extra bus services on days on which industrial action affects Southern rail services.

Andrew Jones: The Department has received no such request.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote the development of low carbon vehicles.

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the development of hydrogen vehicles in the UK.

Mr John Hayes: We have one of the most comprehensive packages of support for ultra low emission vehicles in the world out to 2020, which includes grants for vehicles and infrastructure as well as for Research & Development. We are investing £600m announced in the spending review 2015 plus £270m announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement to ensure we stay on track of almost all cars and vans being zero emission by 2050. We have also proposed new powers to improve the provision of electric vehicle infrastructure for inclusion in the forthcoming Modern Transport Bill to regulate technical standards of infrastructure to ensure easy compatibility with vehicles, and to require clear and consistent pricing information. Government recognises that hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have the potential to play a significant role, in decarbonising road transport. We are helping initiate the hydrogen for transport market in the UK by providing £5m for an initial network of 12 hydrogen refuelling stations, the majority of which are now complete and publically accessible and enabling vehicle manufacturers to deploy FCEVs. In addition the Government has a £2m programme to support both public and private sector fleets to become early adopters of FCEVs.

Railways: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of 11 May 2016, Official Report, column 621, how much of the £1.4 million referred to has been spent to date; and if he will provide a list of what that funding has been allocated to.

Paul Maynard: The £1.4m investment has been pledged by TransPennine Express to provide improved customer facilities including brand new toilets, waiting room and additional high quality retail units for Hull Paragon station. In addition the Franchisee will also be providing an additional facility in the form of a customer information point, bringing back into use a currently redundant part of the station. The full £1.4m will be spent in the 2017/18 financial year.

Home Office

Mobile Phones: Aerials

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that all four mobile network operators are available on all Emergency Services Network masts in (a) the Rhondda, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Emergency Services Network masts there are planned to be in the Rhondda.

Brandon Lewis: In delivering the Emergency Services Network (ESN), the mobile network operator EE will deliver up to 291 new mast sites. Government will deliver approximately 230 further sites (known as the “Extended Area Services” (EAS) sites) in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain.EE has indicated that they aim to provide commercial services from all the new sites that they are building for ESN and the EAS sites although this may be dependent on the backhaul technologies used at sites to connect the site to EE’s telecommunications system.Under the terms of the State Aid decision for ESN, any ESN site where EE offers a commercial service must be made available to the other UK mobile operators and interested parties to provide their own a service on an equal and non-discriminatory basisFor EAS sites, the principal objective is to provide coverage to meet the needs of the emergency services, but the Home Office is working with the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and DCMS to identify any proposed mast locations which could improve mobile coverage in future, with a view to ensuring these are built to a specification which could accommodate multiple operators.No new masts are planned for the purposes of ESN in the Rhondda constituency, because EE have confirmed that their existing site network will provide the coverage required.

Offences against Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the responsible agencies report on progress on meeting the commitments in her Department's report, Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, published in March 2015.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the responsible agencies are expected to report on progress on meeting the commitments in her Department's report, Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, published in March 2015.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on meeting the commitments in her Department's report, Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, published in March 2015.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the responsible agencies are being held to account on the commitments in her Department's report, Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, published in March 2015.

Sarah Newton: Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for this Government. The Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation report published in March 2015 set out our response to the failures we saw in Rotherham and elsewhere, and we have since implemented an ambitious programme of reform to improve our response preventing and tackling sexual abuse of children. We are making good progress on the programme of reform which reports on a bi-monthly basis to the Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse chaired by the Home Secretary. We intend to publish a full progress report in the near future.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to encourage survivors of historic child abuse to share their experience with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Sarah Newton: The terms of reference for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse require it to "consider the experience of survivors of child sexual abuse; providing opportunities for them to bear witness to the Inquiry, having regard to the need to provide appropriate support in doing so". The Inquiry operates independently of Government and it is for the Inquiry itself to determine how best to do this. Details of the Inquiry's approach, and how survivors may make contact, are given on the Inquiry's website - www.iicsa.org.uk

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

National Grid Company: Pension Funds

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect on people affected by proposed changes to the defined benefits sections of the Combined Nuclear Pensions Plan and a section of the Electricity Supply Pension Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Government has undertaken an impact assessment and equalities analysis on public service pensions policy to reform final salary, defined benefit schemes in favour of Career Averaged Revalued Earnings schemes. These can be viewed at www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA12-023.pdf and www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA12-024.pdf.This work has been taken into account in assessing the impact of reforming two final salary schemes within the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) estate. These schemes are now subject to consultation with the workforce, conducted by the NDA; the outcome of the consultation will help to inform further assessments before any decisions are taken.

Biofuels

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much has been given in subsidies to biomass plants in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Jesse Norman: Biomass plants are currently eligible for support under the Renewables Obligation (RO) and the Contracts for Difference (CfD) schemes.The latest available annual data on support paid to biomass plants[1] relates to plants accredited under the RO for 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16.YearRO CertificatesValue (£m)2013/1410,433,116£4382014/1515,923,305£6892015/1619,914,962£883 The figures have been derived by collating the number of RO certificates[2] issued to the technology group of ‘biomass’ in a financial year and multiplying this by the associated buy-out price[3]. Both sets of data are published by Ofgem. CfD payments for one project have commenced end of December and are therefore not included. [1] DECCFCSJ-375-221137[2] https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/[3] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/renewables-obligation-ro-buy-out-price-44-33-and-mutualisation-ceilings-2015-16

Biofuels

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the amount of biomass fuel used in the UK which is sourced from inside the UK.

Jesse Norman: The Department published 2015 figures on energy production and trade in the most recent Digest of UK Energy Statistics. The attached table shows the amounts for different categories of biomass fuels.



Biomass fuels statistics
(PDF Document, 176.95 KB)

Fossil Fuels: Scotland

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the oil and gas decommissioning action plan, published by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise in December 2016.

Jesse Norman: BEIS and the Oil and Gas Authority are in regular contact with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise. The Department is supportive of the Scottish Government on the Oil and Gas Decommissioning Action Plan and, alongside activities related to the Oil and Gas Authority’s Decommissioning and Supply Chain Strategies, is working collectively to ensure the approach to decommissioning harnesses opportunities for the UK supply chain.

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management: Green Deal Scheme

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2017 to Question 58548, what sanctions were imposed on Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd for breaches of the Green Deal Code of Practice.

Jesse Norman: On 27 August 2015, a ‘Notice of intention to impose sanctions’ was issued to Home Energy and Lifestyle Management (HELMS). Having considered the representations received from HELMS and other affected persons, on 19 November 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State imposed a sanction on HELMS of a financial penalty of £10,500.

Radioactive Waste: Dumfries and Galloway

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether preparations are in progress on current or future nuclear waste disposal activity in Dumfries and Galloway.

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has for the disposal of nuclear waste in Dumfries and Galloway.

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what nuclear waste disposal activities have been conducted within Dumfries and Galloway in the last 10 years.

Jesse Norman: The management of radioactive waste is a devolved matter.

Renewable Energy: Scotland

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the level of investment in renewable electricity generation in Scotland in 2018.

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the level of investment in renewable electricity generation in Scotland in 2017.

Jesse Norman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to Question 59836:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-01-12/59836/.

Renewable Energy

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his most recent estimate is of the level of investment in renewable electricity generation in the UK in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 17 January 2017



The National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline [1] sets out projected levels of investment in renewable electricity generation for the UK and for Scotland.It provides a strategic overview of the level of public and private infrastructure investment planned to 2021 and beyond though in a number of sectors such as energy, ports and waste, the decision to go ahead with individual projects will be determined by the market.[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-and-construction-pipeline-2016

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to reform the domestic renewable heat incentive scheme.

Jesse Norman: The Government response[1] to the consultation ‘The Renewable Heat Incentive: A reformed and refocused scheme’ was published on 14 December 2016 and outlines changes to reform the domestic renewable heat incentive scheme. It is intended that these changes will be implemented in spring 2017. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-renewable-heat-incentive-a-reformed-and-refocused-scheme

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement made by the Secretary General of the United Nations on 19 December 2017 on the situation in South Sudan, what steps he has taken in response to concerns on potential genocide in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK fully supported a UN resolution tabled in the Security Council by the US in response to the Secretary General's report. This draft resolution called for an arms embargo and targeted sanctions against those responsible for the continued violence. We lobbied hard, both in New York and in the appropriate capitals, but disappointingly the resolution was not adopted. We continue to work closely with the region and the wider international community to mitigate the risks identified in the Secretary General's report.

UK Permanent Representation to the EU: Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people are employed at the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: There are over 120 officials currently employed at the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Correspondence

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the target number of days within which written correspondence from (a) Parliamentarians and (b) the general public should be answered; whether those targets have been changed since 23 June 2016; and to what extent those targets are currently being met.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) aims to respond to all correspondence from parliamentarians and members of the public within 20 working days of receipt. These targets have not changed since 23 June 2016.The Cabinet Office publishes an annual Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) on ministerial correspondence performance across Government. The WMS on 2015 correspondence performance was made by my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Ipswich (Ben Gummer) on 21 July 2016 (HCWS118).https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-07-21/debates/16072152000019/MembersCorrespondenceThe WMS states that, in 2015, FCO Ministers received 8,021 items of correspondence from parliamentarians and responded to 87 per cent of this correspondence within 20 working days.Statistics on the FCO's performance on correspondence from members of the public are published in the FCO's Annual Report and Accounts.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016In 2015 the FCO received 3,293 letters from members of the public and responded to 71.4 per cent of these letters within 20 working days.In addition to hard copy correspondence, the FCO received 12,584 emails from members of the public in 2015. Performance statistics for 2016 correspondence are not yet available.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the humanitarian and human rights situation in Rakhine State, Burma.

Alok Sharma: We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian and human rights situation in Rakhine. We are particularly concerned by reports from a range of human rights organisations of human rights violations by the security forces following the attack on border posts on 9 October, and the subsequent security response to these attacks. We are also concerned about the humanitarian impact if aid is not resumed quickly, particularly impacting those already affected by malnutrition. We have made several representations to the government of Burma and called for humanitarian access both through our Ambassador and also through Ministerial contacts. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, visited Burma from 9-12 November and urged Burmese Government Ministers to ensure the full resumption of humanitarian aid and to set up an independent investigation into allegations of human rights violations. I also raised this in person with the Burmese Minister of Construction, when he visited London, on 29 November. We will continue to monitor developments closely and to raise our concerns at every opportunity.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to press for humanitarian access to Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States, Burma; and what the results have been of any such diplomatic actions take to date.

Alok Sharma: We are deeply concerned by continuing restrictions on humanitarian access to Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, visited Burma from 9-12 November and urged Burmese Government Ministers to ensure the full resumption of humanitarian aid and to set up an independent investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Rakhine. I also raised this in person with the Burmese Minister of Construction, when he visited London, on 29 November. The UK has long been one of the biggest humanitarian donors to Burma and to Rakhine State, providing over £23 million in humanitarian assistance to Rakhine since 2012. The Government of Burma has committed to restoring humanitarian access. In practice, worrying restrictions remain and we, together with other countries and the UN, will continue to monitor developments closely and to raise our concerns at every opportunity.For Kachin and Northern Shan we continue to raise with the Government of Burma the restriction of humanitarian access to internally displaced people. Baroness Anelay discussed this with the Burmese Minister for Defence during her visit. The UK has provided over £18.1 million in essential humanitarian and health assistance in Kachin and Northern Shan states from 2012 until the end of last financial year, and will provide a further £5 million approximately this year. We continue to provide political and practical support to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's 'Panglong' peace initiative, which successfully brought together the main players last year, in a bid to end this long-running internal conflict.

Burma: Armed Conflict

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to resolve the escalation in conflict in Kachin and northern Shan States, Burma, and the displacement of several thousands of civilians in that area.

Alok Sharma: We have been a consistent supporter of Burma's peace process, aimed at ending the long-running conflict between the military and the ethnic armed groups. This includes practical support delivered through both the multi-donor Joint Peace Fund and the Peace Support Fund, as well as technical advice and expertise. The UK has provided over £18.1 million in essential humanitarian and health assistance in Kachin and Northern Shan states from 2012 until the end of last financial year, and will provide approximately a further £5 million this year.

Cabinet Office

Data Steering Group

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2017 to Question 58918, what his Department's policy is on the timetable for the release of the minutes from the Data Steering Group; and if he will take steps to release those minutes on a quarterly basis.

Ben Gummer: The Data Steering Group meets quarterly. It last met on 19th December 2016. Draft Minutes are approved in the following meeting and, once approved, are published on a quarterly basis.

Civil Servants

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are also employed directly by Ministers and paid (a) by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and (b) any other body.

Ben Gummer: Information about any civil servant's outside employment is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Legal Profession

Keith Vaz: To ask the Attorney General, what the cost to his Department was of the use of external lawyers by his Department (a) in general and (b) related to the work of the Treasury Solicitors in (i) 2016, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2014.

Robert Buckland: The cost relating to the use of external lawyers (including lawyers in the Government Legal Department, formerly the Treasury Solicitor’s Department) by the Attorney General’s Office for the last three financial years is in the table below: £2013-142014-152015-16Cost of GLD lawyers425,859330,442322,023Cost of GLD disbursements (Counsel)210,537340,640220,182Cost of GLD disbursements (Other external lawyers)40,1538,677-Non-GLD legal fees (Counsel)18,81614,25218,949Total external legal fees  695,366694,011561,153 All figures are exclusive of VAT.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid: Departmental Coordination

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's role is in reviewing the overseas development assistance work and budgets of other government departments.

Rory Stewart: Departments are accountable for their Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget and must ensure it offers value for money. DFID is committed to supporting other government departments to help them ensure aid spending offers value for money for the UK taxpayer and is consistent with international rules on ODA. DFID co-chairs a cross-government senior officials group with HM Treasury, whose role is to support departments and funds ensure value for money of all UK ODA.The Independent Commission for Aid Impact will scrutinise all UK ODA. DFID also supports all UK Government departments providing ODA to meet the UK Aid Strategy commitment on transparency.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on (a) consultancy, (b) lawyers and (c) accountancy fees in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2016.

Rory Stewart: Consultancy spend: FY 13/14: £198,344.00FY 14/15: £101,330.00FY 15/16: £52,119.87 Legal spend: FY 13/14: £1,027,725.42FY 14/15: £1,393,344.26FY 15/16: £766,252.89 The information for accountancy spend is not held in the form requested and can only be collated at a disproportionate cost.

Overseas Aid

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether there will be any new country programmes established in 2017.

Rory Stewart: DFID has no plans to open any new country programmes in 2017. However, in a changing world we remain well-placed to respond to changing circumstances and will continue to lead the global effort in responding to humanitarian crises wherever they arise.

Overseas Aid: Publications

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she will publish her Department's Country Operational Plans.

Rory Stewart: Material from country Business Plans, which have replaced Operational Plans, will be published in the Spring.

Gaza and West Bank: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the level of access available to humanitarian organisations operating in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.

Rory Stewart: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) recently stated that during 2016 there was a serious deterioration in access to Gaza for humanitarian organisations, due to the increased rate of permit denials for humanitarian staff applying to enter Gaza. In the West Bank, humanitarian access continues to be hampered by movement and access restrictions, but we have not received reports that there has been a significant change in levels of access over the last year.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to increase humanitarian assistance to Yemen; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: In September 2016, the Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel, chaired a high level international event to shine a spotlight on the crisis in Yemen. At the event, donors pledged over $100 million in new funding, including half from a new UK pledge. The UK Government is also matching public donations to the current Disaster Emergency Committee appeal for Yemen, which has so far raised £15 million, including £5 million from the UK Government.This brings our total commitment to Yemen to over £100 million in humanitarian aid for 2016/17, making us the fourth largest donor. In both 2015 and 2016, UK aid helped over 1 million Yemenis with food, nutrition, water and medical supplies.

Occupied Territories: Non-governmental Organisations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with non-governmental organisations funded by her Department that promote human rights and economic development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as part of her review of funding in that region.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State’s full examination of DFID’s programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is an internal process intended to scrutinise current programming and make recommendations that will ensure maximum impact and value for money to the UK taxpayer. DFID regularly engages with human rights and economic development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that receive indirect funding through our access to justice and private sector development programmes. Discussions with these NGOs inform DFID’s analysis of humanitarian and development needs in the OPTs, which forms the basis of our programming decisions.

Gaza: Reconstruction

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the pace and number of home reconstructions in Gaza through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism.

Rory Stewart: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) recently assessed that since April 2016 the pace of reconstruction of homes destroyed or damaged during the 2014 conflict has slowed due to increased restrictions on the entry of building materials into the Gaza Strip, prolonging the vulnerability of more than 10,000 families who are still displaced. UNOCHA also assessed that by November 2016, 39 percent of the 17,800 housing units destroyed or severely damaged in the 2014 conflict had been rebuilt.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what each item of expenditure over £5 million was that was authorised by Ministers of her Department in each of the last six months.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 16 January 2017



The table attached details all development programmes greater than £5m that have been approved by DFID Ministers since July 2016.



59683
(Word Document, 35.24 KB)

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to deal with the humanitarian situation in  Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States, Burma.

Rory Stewart: The UK remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan. We continue to raise our concerns with both military and civilian Ministers in the Government of Burma as a matter of urgency.The UK has long been one of the biggest humanitarian donors in Burma and in Rakhine State, providing over £23 million in humanitarian assistance in Rakhine since 2012. No financial aid is provided to the Government of Burma. The UK currently provides humanitarian support to around 100,000 people in the state including to people in internally displaced people camps outside of northern Rakhine and some limited support in northern Rakhine. The UK has provided over £18.1 million in essential humanitarian and health assistance in Kachin and Northern Shan states from 2012 until the end of last financial year, and will provide a further £5 million approximately this year.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much financial support was given to higher education institutions by government directly or through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for widening participation; how much such support was allocated through higher education institutions access agreements for widening participation; and how much of that support was given by government directly or through HEFCE in each financial year from 2010-11 (a) in total and (b) to each such institution in England.

Joseph Johnson: Information on the amount of financial support provided to higher education institutions through the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE), both on a sector and institutional level, is available on the HEFCE website. It can be found in the ‘Student Opportunity Allocations’ spreadsheet on the ‘Funds for learning and teaching’ tab for respective years at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/funding/annallocns/.Information is also available, at both sector and institutional level, on Access Agreement allocations provided to higher education institutions. This can be found via the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) website at https://www.offa.org.uk/publications/analysis-data-and-progress-reports/ in the ‘institutional expenditure and fee levels document’, ‘key statistics and analysis’ and ‘access agreement data tables’ spreadsheets.

Medicine: Education

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with UK higher education institutions about the nine per cent drop in applications for medicine courses in UK universities for the 2017-18 academic year.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with UK higher education institutions on the nine per cent drop in applications for medicine courses in UK universities for the 2017-18 academic year.

Joseph Johnson: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publishes data on applicants, applications and acceptances to full-time undergraduate courses.There were 19,210 applicants to medicine courses in total with a 15 October 2017 UCAS deadline, 4% fewer (-890 people) than last year.The Department engages with higher education institutions on an on-going basis, across a range of issues.The tables show the number of applicants for medicine courses with a 15 October deadline (2017 cycle) in the UK1: Domicile of applicant20132014201520162017UK17,00017,14015,22014,82014,450All22,13022,74020,39020,10019,210 Difference between cycle and 2016 cycle20132014201520162017UK15%16%3%0%-2%All10%13%1%0%-4% The number of applications to Medicine and Dentistry courses (subject Group A) by the 15 January UCAS deadline will be published on 2 February.Notes:1. The figures were extracted from the UCAS October 2017 Deadline Applicant Statistics available via the following weblink:https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/applicant-numbers-%E2%80%98early-deadline%E2%80%99-university-courses-increase

Students: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2016 to Question 52361, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the student loan repayment threshold freeze on those students who depend on student loans or other financial assistance to fund their studies.

Joseph Johnson: The Government published a full Equality Analysis of the impact of freezing the student loan repayment threshold on 25 November 2015. This followed a public consultation that took place from 22 July 2015 to 14 October 2015.All borrowers whose earnings are above the repayment threshold will pay around £6 per week more (in nominal terms) by 2020/21. Those individuals with the lowest lifetime earnings will be affected the least, because they will either never earn above the earnings threshold, or will only do so for a limited period of the loan’s life.The full Equality Analysis can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479559/bis-15-635-freezing-student-loan-repayment-threshold-equality-analysis.pdf.

Graduates: EU Nationals

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of EU graduate students who have remained in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland, employed in jobs relating to (i) science, (ii) technology, (iii) engineering and (iv) mathematics subject areas in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: Destinations of students six months after leaving UK higher education institutions (HEIs) are collected and published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) as part of the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Statistics on the destinations of EU domiciled students six months after leaving UK HEIs, including the numbers in UK employment, are published in Table 1 of HESA’s Statistical First Release. The latest statistics were published in June 2016 for students leaving their courses in the 2014/15 academic year at the following link:https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/30-06-2016/sfr237-destinations-of-leaversThe occupations of employed graduates are also recorded in the DLHE survey but a standard categorisation of these into science, technology, engineering and mathematics is not available.

Graduates: EU Nationals

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of EU students who have remained in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland after graduating with degrees in (i) science, (ii) technology, (iii) engineering and (iv) mathematics in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The information requested is not available. Destinations of students six months after leaving UK higher education institutions (HEIs) are collected and published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) as part of the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. However, the location of residence of higher education leavers is not collected.Latest statistics were published in June 2016 for students leaving their courses in the 2014/15 academic year and are available at the following link:https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/30-06-2016/sfr237-destinations-of-leavers

Higher Education: Males

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that working class, white males are better able to access higher education.

Joseph Johnson: We want to ensure that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, regardless of their background. In our most recent Guidance to the Director of Fair Access, we asked him to focus universities on increasing the participation of white, working-class boys in higher education.We are also legislating to introduce a Transparency Duty on institutions which would require them to publish application, offer and drop-out rates by socio-economic background, ethnicity and gender. Other measures in the Higher Education and Research Bill focusing on widening participation by under-represented groups include:o bringing together Office for Fair Access (OFFA) and Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) resources and expertise in the proposed Office for Students (OfS) to rationalise and improve delivery;o ensuring access and participation plans explicitly cover access, progression and student success; placing an overarching duty on the OfS to have regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity in relation to access and participation in all that it does; ando ensuring the Director for Fair Access and Participation has a clear role within the OfS in relation to access and participation activities.

Higher Education: Working Class

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support to working class students on degree courses which last longer than three years.

Joseph Johnson: Tuition fee loans and maintenance loans are available to undergraduate students for the full length of their courses, including those lasting for four years or more. Support available to those students with the lowest household incomes was increased by over 10% in the 2016/17 Academic Year.Non-repayable support is also available to students with children or adult dependants, and to students with a disability or specific learning difficulty.Widening participation in higher education remains a priority for this government. Entry rates to higher education for young people in the most disadvantaged groups have risen to the highest rates on record. The proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education is up from 13.6% in 2009 to 18.5% in 2015. The latest data for entry in 2016 shows that the application rate for 18 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds is at a record level.

Grammar Schools: Standards

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on grammar schools in failing school improvement partnerships becoming academy sponsors of those schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education encourages high performing schools, including grammar schools, to sponsor weaker schools. Any organisation interested in becoming an academy sponsor must apply through a rigorous process that is decided by the relevant Regional Schools Commissioner on behalf of the Secretary of State. Further details can be found on the sponsorship section on the Department website - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academy-sponsorship.

Autism: Children

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department publishes for parents and social workers on the use of restraining techniques for children with autism who exhibit or demonstrate violent behaviour.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education and the Department of Health jointly published non-statutory Guidance for Restrictive Physical Interventions: How to provide safe services for people with Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (July 2002). The guidance is aimed at those who are responsible for social services, including social workers. It is not guidance for parents, though it would be of interest to them. It promotes effective policies, planning and staff training for those who work with people who have severe behavioural difficulties associated with learning difficulties or autism spectrum disorder. It does not provide guidance on techniques of restraint – that is best delivered through specialised training. The Department for Education and the Department of Health are working to produce for consultation new guidance which is intended to replace the 2002 guidance.  Weblink to the above guidance: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http:[emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */[emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  *//documents/digitalasset/dh_4068461.pdf

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research her Department has commissioned on the increase in the number of pupil exclusions over the last three years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has not commissioned any research on the rise in pupil exclusions over the last three years.

Maria Strizzolo

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the employment contract and job description for the post Ms Maria Strizzolo held at her Department.

Caroline Dinenage: Ms Strizzolo was recruited to a role providing secretariat support for the Apprenticeship Delivery Board (ADB). Her key responsibilities included translating policy and strategy into operation plans; planning and managing commissioned projects and events; the provision of governance for the ADB which included developing, implementing and monitoring Board membership; monitoring progress against plans; and developing communication and event plans.Ms Strizzolo was on a temporary Skills and Funding Agency (SFA) Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) contract covering maternity leave, but it would not be appropriate for the Department to publish information which is personal between an employer and employee.

Primary Education: Peterborough

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to assist Peterborough City Council in improving educational attainment in primary schools; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Regional Schools Commissioner is working collaboratively with Peterborough City Council to identify areas for improvement in Peterborough primary schools. The Department is currently intervening in those primary schools with unacceptably low results this summer to ensure improved outcomes in 2017. We are encouraging Good and Outstanding schools to set up their own Multi Academy Trust to increase capacity in a school-led system. In addition, we are bringing in high quality academy sponsors from other parts of the country to support struggling schools.

Languages: Primary Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy and effectiveness of the provision of modern foreign language education in primary schools; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to the teaching of foreign languages as part of a core academic curriculum. Since September 2014, maintained primary schools in England must teach a modern or ancient foreign language to pupils at Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 11). The British Council’s Language Trends survey 2015/16 found that all the primary schools in a representative sample taught languages. Just over half had access to specialist expertise in the teaching of languages. A little under half had either a native speaker or a member of staff with a degree in the language they are teaching. The Teaching Schools Council (TSC) published a report on its review of modern languages teaching practice in secondary schools last November. In addition to providing practical advice to teachers to improve their pedagogy in secondary schools, the review reported considerable variation in the levels of knowledge and expertise shown by secondary school pupils, depending on their experience of being taught a language in primary school, in addition to some examples of good practice. It recommended that secondary schools should support the teaching of languages in primary schools wherever possible. The TSC is considering how further to support schools to engage with the report’s recommendations.

Ministry of Justice

Family Courts: Domestic Violence

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the contribution of 9 January 2017, Official Report, column 27, what plans her Department has to consult with (a) Women's Aid and (b) survivors of domestic abuse on the ancillary measures required to implement a ban on perpetrators of domestic abuse from directly cross-examining their victims within the family court.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government has listened to Women’s Aid and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence who have raised their concerns about this practice. As I made clear in the House of Commons on 9 January, we are determined to improve the family justice response to vulnerable witnesses, and victims of domestic abuse in particular. Family judges have a range of powers to make sure difficult courtroom situations are handled sensitively for vulnerable witnesses, and we continue to work with the judiciary to consider what additional protections may be necessary. We are particularly concerned about the fact that unrepresented alleged perpetrators of abuse can directly cross-examine their alleged victims in family proceedings. The Justice Secretary is urgently considering how to put an end to this practice.

Family Courts: Domestic Violence

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for her Department's review into the most effective means of banning perpetrators of domestic abuse from directly cross-examining their victims within the family court system.

Sir Oliver Heald: We wish to act urgently and are keen to conclude this work as quickly as possible.

Promession

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether local authorities are permitted to offer promession services to bereaved families; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: Promession involves neither burial nor the burning of human remains and is therefore outside the scope of the existing legislation. As such, it is not something that local authorities can offer.

Ministry of Defence

Reserve Forces: Deployment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army reservists from the (a) Infantry, (b) Royal Artillery, (c) Royal Corps of Signals, (d) Army Medical Services, (e) Adjutant General's Corps, (f) Royal Armoured Corps, (g) Army Air Corps, (h) Royal Engineers, (i) Royal Logistics Corps, (j) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (h) Intelligence Corps are currently mobilised for service with the regular Army.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army reservists from the (a) Infantry, (b) Royal Artillery, (c) Royal Corps of Signals, (d) Army Medical Services, (e) Adjutant General's Corps, (f) Royal Armoured Corps, (g) Army Air Corps, (h) Royal Engineers, (i) Royal Logistics Corps, (j) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (h) Intelligence Corps have been mobilised in each year since 2005.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army reservists are currently mobilised for service with the regular Army.

Mark Lancaster: The attached tables provide mobilisation data for all Army Reservists (formerly the Territorial Army) who have been mobilised between 1 April 2007 and 30 November 2016. Information is not available before 2007 as this precedes the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration system.



59853 - Mobilisation date for all Army Reservists
(Word Document, 27.36 KB)

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Warrior Capability Sustainment programme; what the timetable is for that programme; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme is in its Demonstration Phase with Lockheed Martin UK (LMUK) as the prime contractor. Having achieved initial live firing using a prototype vehicle and a System Critical Design Review in 2015, twelve Demonstration Vehicles are currently being manufactured.The Demonstration Vehicles will undergo a rigorous programme of trials commencing this year, including further live firing. The Ministry of Defence intends to conduct detailed negotiations with LMUK prior to committing to a manufacturing contract no later than 2018, with the first upgraded Warriors expected to enter service in 2020.

Prime Minister

Seeta Kaur

Kate Osamor: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she raised the case of Seeta Kaur with Prime Minister Modi, as requested by the hon. Member for Edmonton in a letter to the Prime Minister ahead of her visit to India.

Mrs Theresa May: While I did not specifically raise the case of Seeta Kaur with Prime Minister Modi, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, both in India and the UK, has provided assistance to her family following her tragic death and remain ready to provide support to her family should they require it.

Wall Street Journal

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Prime Minister, if she will publish minutes of her meeting with the Wall Street Editorial Board in September 2016.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr Gwynne) on 28 October 2016, UIN 50210.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Mobile Phones: Rhondda

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the population of the Rhondda has (a) 2G, (b) 3G and (c) 4G mobile coverage.

Matt Hancock: Data on the proportion of the population of the Rhondda that has (a) 2G, (b) 3G and (c) 4G is not held centrally. Ofcom have published data at the local authority level on the percentage of premises where there is likely to be a 4G signal from all four operators. They will be publishing similar data for 2G and 3G shortly.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom on introducing a 30 per cent cap on mobile spectrum.

Matt Hancock: This is a matter for Ofcom. DCMS has noted Ofcom's competition and consumer assessment, as set out in its successive consultations on the forthcoming auction of 2.3 and 3.4 GHz spectrum.

Public Lending Right

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to extend the Public Lending Right to e-books which are borrowed remotely.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Minister for Digital and Culture confirmed at the Report stage of the Digital Economy Bill in the House of Commons on 28 November 2016 that the Government intends to legislate to extend the Public Lending Right to include the remote lending of e-books. The Department is working to bring forward the necessary legislative amendment as soon as possible.

Newspaper Press

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the long-term financial viability of print journalism and the newspaper industry.

Matt Hancock: The government is aware of the current challenges facing print journalism and the newspaper industry as the market adapts to the changing media landscape. We engage closely with the industry on this issue.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Waste Disposal

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of plastic packaging has gone to landfill in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The following information gives a breakdown of wastes described as plastic packaging under the European Waste Classification (EWC) code 15 01 02, that have been accepted at permitted landfill sites in England from 2011 to 2015. These quantities are given in tonnes. EWC CodeEWC Description2011201220132014201515 01 02Plastic packaging (including separately collected Municipal Waste fractions)5,49125,9806,9658,3358,452 Note: The 2012 data consists of a large quantity of waste accepted by one landfill site of 20,664 tonnes.

Climate Change

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial resources her Department has allocated for the UK National Adaption programme; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Adaptation is embedded as an integral part of policy making across Defra and all levels of Government, and within a broad range of programmes and activities that directly or indirectly support and build the UK’s resilience to climate change. It is, therefore, not possible to provide an estimate of the total amount of resource applied to support our National Adaptation Programme objectives across all of those policies, programmes and activities.

Agriculture: Profits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential effect of the UK exiting the EU on the profitability of farmers and growers in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Exiting the EU gives us an unprecedented opportunity to design a domestic agriculture policy fit for the 21st century, reducing the regulatory burden on agricultural businesses, and supporting resilience and growth.

Pests

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what resources her Department has allocated for research into new and emerging pests and diseases in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra holds an animal health research budget of around £15m in 2016/17 of which around £0.5m specifically relates to a new and emerging disease sub-programme. Defra holds a plant health research budget of around £4m in 2016/17 which is prioritised according to threats listed in the plant health risk register. The exact size of future research investment is not confirmed and will be dependent on the nature and extent of future risks.

Neonicotinoids

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what studies her Department is carrying out on neonicotinoid pesticides; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra has supported a range of research relevant to improving understanding of the effects of neonicotinoids (and other pesticides on bees). Recently completed work includes studies on: quantifying the exposure of bumblebees to neonicotinoids and mixtures of pesticides (commenced 2013); interpreting pesticide residues in honeybees (published 2015); using radio-frequency identification devices to assess effects of pesticides on foraging bees (commenced 2013); and protection goals for bee colonies (commenced 2015).

Agriculture: Subsidies

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to review the disbursement of payments from the convergence uplift scheme.

George Eustice: The Government is considering next steps on a review of the intra-UK allocation of the CAP budget. An update will be provided shortly.

Fisheries: EU Law

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which EU fishery regulations will be transferred to domestic legislation through the Great Repeal Bill.

George Eustice: We are currently analysing all EU fisheries legislation. No decision has yet been made on the extent to which the EU legislation governing the Common Fisheries Policy will be incorporated into domestic law.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of changes in the rate of core spending power per dwelling between (a) 2009-10 and 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 and 2019-20 for (i) Bournemouth Borough Council and (ii) England.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 12 January 2017



Spending Power figures are not available for 2009-10 and from 2010-11 to 2014-15 they were not compiled on a consistent basis.Between 2015-16 and 2019-20 the average Core Spending Power per Dwelling for England is broadly flat and will be £1,872 in 2019/20. Over the same period Bournemouth's Core Spending Power per dwelling will increase from £1,513 to £1,527 which is equivalent to 0.9%.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many urban transformation centres are planned under the Northern Powerhouse Plan; what the remit of such centres will be; when each such centre will be operational; and how much has been spent and committed on the establishment of such centres to date.

Andrew Percy: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



The government has not made any decisions on the N8 proposal to create a network of Urban Transformation Centres. The government will continue to work with the N8 universities to explore their proposals.

Social Services: Finance

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2017 to Question 58515, what plans he has to fund social care through new homes bonuses in two tier local authority areas; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



Reforms to the New Homes Bonus have identified savings of £240m which will be made available for adult social care by means of a new, one-off, Adult Social Care Support Grant. This grant will be distributed to all social care authorities in accordance with the social care relative needs formula.

Urban Areas

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support high streets around the country.

Andrew Percy: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



We are committed to ensuring that high streets throughout the country remain at the heart of their community and we have taken significant actions to help high streets adapt and thrive through a range of targeted tax breaks, sensible planning changes and measures to ensure fairer parking for motorists.At Budget 2016 we announced the biggest ever cut in business rates – worth £6.7 billion across the next five years. The Government is permanently doubling the level of Small Business Rate Relief and increasing the thresholds to benefit a greater number of property occupiers. Eligible properties with a rateable value of £12,000 and below will receive 100% relief. This means that 600,000 small businesses will pay no business rates at all. Furthermore, the revaluation of Business Rates will ensure business rate bills more closely reflect the property market and that all businesses are getting a fair deal.We have also given over £18 million to town teams since 2010, funding successful initiatives such as “Love Your Local Market” and the “Great British High Street Competition”, which aims to recognise and celebrate some of the great work that is being done by local councils and communities around the country to help celebrate their high streets. The finalists for the 2016 Competition, which received over 900 applications and 500,000 public votes, included Thame, who were runners-up in the Small Market town “Place” category, and Chris Hurdman, who runs Thame weekly market, was a runner-up in the Market Champion “People” award.

Social Rented Housing

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much capital has been spent on social housing in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



The Department for Communities and Local Government does not publish data on capital spent on social housing at constituency or regional level or for the UK. The Government’s capital expenditures on social housing in South Tyneside are shown in the table below:Financial Year South Tyneside1997/98 £1,085,7831998/99 £1,108,5911999/00 £1,775,7572000/01 £756,5412001/02 £1,249,9692002/03 £2,847,1982003/04 £4,375,4832004/05 £1,515,3922005/06 £3,922,0792006/07 £2,652,3392007/08 £1,587,8882008/09 £1,554,8842009/10 £6,035,3072010/11 £3,774,5912011/12 £3,009,9242012/13 £2,003,1992013/14 £8,761,0082014/15 £1,405,6682015/16 £462,425**The expenditure figures for 2015-16 reflect the start of the new Affordable Homes Programme 2015-18 followed by the switch to the new 2016-21 Programme. The fallin expenditure is expected as part of the affordable homes programme cycle. Expenditure and delivery are always lower in the initial years of a new housingprogramme.On average, since 2010, this Government has invested £3,236,136 per year on social housing in South Tyneside, compared to average investment of £2,343,632between 1997/98 and 2009/10. Data on local Government’s capital expenditure on social housing are not available before 2013-14. The data for 2013-14 onwards are available in the Housing Revenue Account Capital Expenditure, financing and major repairs reserve whichcan be found at:2013-14: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-capital-expenditure-and-receipts-in-england-2013-to-2014-final-outturn 2014-15: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-capital-expenditure-and-receipts-in-england-2014-to-2015-final-outturn Government is investing £9.4 billion to deliver over 400,000 affordable housing starts by March 2021 - the largest housing programme by any Government since the 1970s.

Homelessness

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have been registered as homeless in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



Homelessness statistics for English local authorities have been published at the following location:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessnessEngland total figures for statutory homelessness acceptances since 1998 can be found in table 770 in the first link while figures for South Tyneside since 2004/05 can be found at the second link, table 784. Figures for acceptances in South Tyneside prior to 2004/05 are shown below;1998/99 2371999/00 2022000/01 2252001/02 3212002/03 3792003/04 595Estimates are not available at a constituency or UK level. The Department does not publish regional estimates.”

Non-domestic Rates

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on 100 per cent business rate retention.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



By the end of the Parliament, local government will retain 100% of taxes raised locally, giving councils control of an additional £12.5 billion of business rates to spend on local services. To ensure the reforms are fiscally neutral, some existing grants will be phased out and responsibilities will be devolved to local authorities. This move towards self-sufficiency and away from dependence on central government is something councils have long campaigned for. We have worked in close collaboration with local government in how to implement this commitment, including through the Business Rates Retention Steering Group, which is jointly chaired by the Local Government Association and the Department for Communities and Local Government.Last week, we introduced the Local Government Finance Bill that will establish the legislative framework for the reformed system. All relevant documents can be found here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2016-17/localgovernmentfinance.html. We will continue to work closely with local government during the passage of the legislation, to shape the detail of the reforms.

Housing: Management

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce legislative proposals to grant freeholders the right to remove property management companies from new developments.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 13 January 2017



If a freeholder is unhappy with the services provided by a management company they can, with their neighbours, collectively approach the company and ask it to sell the freehold of any communal areas. This is a matter of negotiation between both interested parties. There are currently no plans to allow a right in law for freeholders to enforce a purchase. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Social Services: Finance

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the adult social care support grant will be allocated to local authorities for 2018-19 on a similar distribution to that of 2017-18.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 16 January 2017



The Adult Social Care Support Grant is a one-off grant available only in 2017-18. However next year councils will also be able to raise the adult social care precept earlier - by up to 3%, and 3% the year after (2018/19), but by no more than 6% over the next three years. This could raise £200m in additional funding for adult social care in 2017-18 and over £400m in 2018-19. Councils will also be benefitting from the increased funding for the Better Care Fund, £105m in 2017-18, £825m in 2018-19 and £1.5bn in 2019-20. An explanation of the distribution of this funding can be found in the Local government finance settlement 2017-18: technical consultation –https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/553819/Post_Publication_-_Draft_Settlement_Summer_Consultation.pdf

Communities and Local Government: EU Law

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which EU directives relating to his Department's responsibilities are awaiting transposition into UK law.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 16 January 2017



The UK remains a member of the EU until we leave, with full rights and obligations of membership. This includes transposing EU legislation into UK law.The following directive relating to the Department's responsibilities is currently awaiting transposition.'Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment'.Transposition date: 16 May 2017.

Affordable Housing: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase the level of affordable housing supply for key workers in (a) Greater London, (b) the London Borough of Newham and (c) East Ham constituency.

Gavin Barwell: Holding answer received on 17 January 2017



This Government is investing £9.4 billion to deliver 400,000 affordable housing starts by March 2021, including Shared Ownership, Rent to Buy, Affordable Rent and Starter Homes – the largest housing programme by any government since the 1970s. Government has recently agreed a major package of funding for London - £3.15 billion over the period 2015 to 2021, to deliver at least 90,000 affordable homes by March 2021. These include at least 58,500 homes that provide working Londoners with the opportunities to own a home over time – homes for shared ownership and homes offered at ‘London Living Rent’ that will actively support tenants into home ownership within ten years. London will also get a share of the additional £1.4 billion investment in the Affordable Homes Programme announced at Autumn Statement.Any worker can benefit from all our housing offers, provided that they are otherwise unable to afford to purchase or rent on the open market and meet the eligibility criteria. Many local authorities also provide their own local housing schemes for local workers. They can also benefit from our London Help to Buy, with up to 40% equity loan.

Scotland Office

Immigration: Scotland

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of immigration on Scotland's economic performance in the last five years.

David Mundell: Migrants from outside the UK and within the UK make a significant contribution to Scotland – not only in terms of its economy, but also society and wellbeing. This Government will always welcome the brightest and the best who come here to work.

European Convention on Human Rights: Scotland

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK's signatory status to the European Convention on Human Rights on the competencies of the Scottish Parliament.

David Mundell: Section 29 of the Scotland Act 1998 sets out that the Scottish Parliament cannot legislate incompatibly with any of the rights in the European Convention on Human Rights. There are no plans to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.

Trade: Scotland

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the value to Scotland's economy of Scotland's trade with the rest of the UK.

David Mundell: Trade between Scotland and the UK is worth nearly £50 billion, a figure that has increased by around 70% since 2002. There is no doubt that the United Kingdom is the vital union for Scotland’s economy.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the potential effect of the Autumn Statement 2016 will be on the budget of the Scottish Government.

Simon Kirby: The Government’s decision to invest in infrastructure at Autumn Statement 2016 will see the Scottish Government’s capital budget increase by over £800 million in the years through to 2021. This equates to a rise of almost 25% in real terms relative to 2015/16 levels. The Scottish Government will be able to use this significant increase in capital funding to take its own decisions to boost productivity and growth in Scotland.

Income Tax: Scotland

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential effect of variation of income tax rates.

Simon Kirby: The Scotland Act 2016 devolves further income tax powers to the Scottish Government. From April 2017, the Scottish Government will have the power to set all rates and thresholds for non-savings, non-dividends income tax in Scotland. This is an important power and means the Scottish Government is more responsible for raising the money it spends; it is accountable to the Scottish Parliament for those decisions.

HM Treasury

Stamp Duties

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the total revenue from stamp duty in the 2017-18 financial year.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs does not forecast revenues for Stamp Duty specifically but this forms part of the forecast for Stamp Taxes on Shares, which is an aggregate of Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax receipts. Forecasts for Stamp Taxes on Shares, along with forecasts for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) revenue are produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in Table 4.6 of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) publication found here: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2016EFO.pdf The latest forecasts were published in November 2016.

Food: VAT

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of reducing VAT on low-fat percentage food products from 20 to five per cent; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: A zero rate of VAT already applies to many foods, including for example fresh fruit and vegetables. The 20 per cent VAT rate applies to foods such as ice cream, confectionary and potato crisps.

Children: Maintenance

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, in how many cases parents with care have alerted HM Revenue and Customs to potential tax fraud by the non-resident parent in each of the last three financial years.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions have been instigated in each of the last three years by HM Revenue and Customs in respect of false tax returns by non-resident parents where the false return has reduced that parent's liability for child maintenance.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations have been instigated by HM Revenue and Customs as a result of allegations of false tax returns in respect of child maintenance liabilities in each of the last three financial years.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff of HM Revenue and Customs work on dealing with allegations of false tax returns by non-resident parents seeking to avoid child maintenance liabilities.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many joint training events have taken place in each of the last three years between staff from the Child Maintenance Service, the Department of Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs in order to ensure understanding of circumstances relating to potential avoidance of maintenance payments to single parent families.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uses information from a wide range of sources, including third party information, to carry out civil and criminal investigations. These have secured over £126 billion in additional compliance revenue since 2010. It is not possible to say how many parents have provided information as HMRC does not centrally collate the management information in this format, nor does it centrally collate information regarding how many prosecutions and investigations have been instigated as a result of allegations of false tax returns in respect of child maintenance liabilities. HMRC’s 26,000 (FTE) strong customer compliance group workforce of risk and intelligence analysts, compliance officers and fraud investigators tackle the full range of compliance risks. HMRC compliance staff are assigned to cases across all HMRC risks and customer behaviours and the cases typically involve investigating a range of potential issues. Therefore it is not possible to state exactly how many staff are deployed to a single specific risk, as this will be one of many issues a compliance officer could cover. HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions have been working together on Child Maintenance issues since 2009. During this time, both departments have worked collaboratively to increase their knowledge of the IT and business processes and to develop and improve the way in which they share information. There is no joint formal training programme in place but HMRC has led awareness sessions for Child Maintenance Group (CMG) on HMRC processes and interpreting PAYE and Self-Assessment data. HMRC also provides on-going assistance to CMG to help them resolve issues as and when required.

Insurance Premium Tax: Charities

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in insurance premium tax announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 on the charity sector.

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in insurance premium tax announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 on charities which use volunteers.

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in insurance premium tax announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 on charities which preserve heritage assets.

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has with charities on the potential effect of the increase in insurance premium tax announced in the Autumn Statement 2016.

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of exempting charities from insurance premium tax.

Jane Ellison: Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) is a tax on all general insurance paid by insurers, and it is therefore up to insurers to decide whether to pass on any tax paid. Charities are a vital part of our society and the Government continues to support them and their donors, including through tax reliefs worth over £5 billion in 2015-16. The Government has also made up to £42 million per annum available for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and at Budget 2016, the Government announced a further £20 million to the First World War Centenary Cathedrals Repairs Fund. While all tax policy is kept under review, it would be challenging to implement an exemption for insurance purchased by any specific group. Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of companies and organisations, including charities and their representative bodies, to discuss relevant issues. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Affordable Housing: South West

Scott Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to increase the affordable housing supply in the South West.

Mr David Gauke: Government is committed to supporting the delivery of affordable housing and ensuring the housing market works for everyone. Over 300,000 affordable homes have been delivered since 2010. However, the scale of the challenge requires us to go further, which is why my RHF the Chancellor announced in the Autumn Statement that Government will invest an additional £5.3bn in housing. This includes £1.4bn funding to deliver 40,000 new affordable homes across England. In December, government also announced the launch of a new £60m fund to help around 150 councils tackle the problem of high levels of second home ownership in their communities. The fund will allow local groups to deliver affordable housing aimed at first time buyers. The South West will receive almost £20m through the fund.

Child Benefit

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the change in the value of child benefit in real terms over the next five years as a result of the freeze in the level of benefits and the projected increase in the cost of living.

Jane Ellison: The Government has considered the impact on all benefits and tax credits rates that are included in the four year uprating freeze. The Government has published an impact assessment at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf

Stamp Duties

Alex Chalk: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of stamp duty reform on small-scale property development companies since the increase in stamp duty on second properties in April 2016.

Jane Ellison: Property development companies are treated in the same way in the Stamp Duty Land Tax system as other companies, and, as with all taxes, the Government continues to review the impact of recent changes.

Revenue and Customs: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices based in the North West are due to take place between 2017 and 2021.

Jane Ellison: A list of all HM Revenue and Customs offices by region, including planned year of closure, has been deposited in the Library of the House under reference DEP2016-0676.

EU Grants and Loans: Scotland

Natalie McGarry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on Scotland's allocation of the (a) European Social Fund and (b) European Regional Development Fund since the EU referendum in June 2016.

Mr David Gauke: Treasury Ministers regularly have discussions with Ministers from the Devolved Administrations on matters of mutual interest and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has discussed EU funding with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution for the Scottish Government on a number of occasions.

Apprentices: Taxation

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of sums to be accrued to the public purse from the apprenticeship levy on public sector bodies in Scotland in each of the next three years.

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of sums to be accrued to the public purse from the apprenticeship levy on local authorities in each nation of the UK in each of the next three years.

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the sums to be accrued to the public purse from the apprenticeship levy on NHS trusts in each nation of the UK in each of the next three years.

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of sums to be accrued to the public purse from the apprenticeship levy on public sector bodies in each of the next three years.

Jane Ellison: The apprenticeship levy, will be a charge on all employers across the UK who have a paybill greater than £3 million. It is forecast to yield £2.6 billion in 2017-18, £2.7 billion in 2018-19 and £2.8 billion in 2019-20.In 2016, the then Chancellor, in a letter to the Treasury Select Committee, set out an estimate of the impact of the apprenticeship levy on public sector bodies. This was published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-chancellor-to-chairman-of-treasury-select-committee-on-the-apprenticeship-levy. Sub-national forecasts of the contribution made by public bodies and NHS trusts have not been made. The Scottish Government and the other devovled administrations will each receive a population share of the apprenticeship levy forecast as set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-agrees-apprenticeship-levy-funding-deal-with-devolved-administrations.

Self-employed: Taxation

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress the Government has made on its plans to reform IR35 regulations for self-employed people.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon Member to the answer given on 16 January (Question 59515).

Sterling

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes in the Sterling exchange rate on the resilience of the Government's stock of foreign currency reserves.

Simon Kirby: The government has been providing additional sterling financing for the foreign currency reserves since 2010. Total additional financing for the reserves between 2010-11 and 2016-17 stands at £48 billion.A large proportion of the government’s foreign currency assets are hedged against exchange rate and interest rate changes.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what account his Department is taking of the outcome of the Balance of Competences Review in formulating further Government policy on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We are carrying out a programme of sectoral and regulatory analysis, which will identify the key factors for British businesses and the labour force that will affect our negotiations with the EU as well as the issues that will affect our relationship with the EU on security, justice and migration​. We are​ also​ building a detailed understanding of how withdrawing from the EU will affect our domestic policies, to seize the opportunities and ensure a smooth process of exit.​ This work is drawing on a wide range of sources of information and analysis, as well as extensive stakeholder engagement and previous government work.​

UK Trade with EU: Import Duties

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average amount of tariffs that would have to be paid annually by (a) UK businesses to access the EU market and (b) EU businesses to access the UK market according to current World Trade Organisation rules; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: If the UK were to leave the EU without alternative trading arrangements in place, WTO rules would require that trade between the UK and the EU would be subject to Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment for goods and services. The average amount of tariffs that would have to be paid would depend on MFN commitments. However, as the Prime Minister has said, we want to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade and operate in the European market – and let European businesses do the same here.

Industry: Netherlands

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what representations he has received from industries in the Netherlands on the Government's forthcoming negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what representations he has received from industries in Germany on the Government's forthcoming negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones: Ministers and officials across Government are engaging UK and EU business from every sector of the economy - this is a central element of our plan to get the right deal for Britain. We are listening and talking to a broad range of organisations, companies and institutions both in the UK, and abroad. Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for International Trade

EU External Trade: Solar Power

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK solar sector of the EU Minimum Import Price for Chinese solar module imports; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: No such assessment has been made by the Department for International Trade.

UK EU Life Sciences Transition Programme Steering Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55459, whether the UK/EU working group on life sciences was established by the Government.

Mark Garnier: Although the UK/EU Steering Group is industry led and chaired by the Chief Executives of GSK and AstraZeneca, it was established after the referendum by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences (George Freeman).

Department of Health

Physiotherapy

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of clinical commissioning groups implement self-referral for physiotherapy.

David Mowat: The Department does not hold this information.

Arthritis: Rheumatology

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that patients with early inflammatory arthritis are referred from their GP to rheumatology services within three days.

David Mowat: The Department has not published any specific piece of guidance in relation to early inflammatory arthritis. However, evidence-based clinical guidance is published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and is disseminated to general practitioners and other health care professionals. To help clinicians identify the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and make prompt referrals to specialists, NICE published Rheumatoid arthritis: The management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults in 2009. This best practice guideline sets out the signs and symptoms of the disease and emphasises the need for early diagnosis with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist on suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis. For those diagnosed with the condition, the guidance also recommends they should be offered the opportunity to take part in educational activities, including self-management programmes. The NICE Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality Standard, published in 2013, is based on the NICE guideline. One of the seven quality statements it includes recommends that people with suspected persistent synovitis affecting the small joints of the hands or feet, or more than one joint, are referred to a rheumatology service within three working days of presentation. Although providers and commissioners must have regard to these standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients who used accident and emergency services in England were not registered with a GP or primary care provider; and how many of those patients were non-UK nationals in each year from 2010 to 2015.

David Mowat: The attached document shows the following information: - Total count of Unplanned A&E Attendances in each year- A count of attendances where the patient GP Practice has been recorded as V81997 - No registered GP Practice, broken down by the Commissioning Region of residence of the patient for each year. This data does not represent the number of patients, as an individual may have more than one attendance at accident and emergency in any given period. Please be aware of the following when interpreting the data:The Commissioning Region of residence is derived from the patient’s postcode of home address. A default value can be used to identify records where the patient is not normally resident in the United Kingdom. Where the postcode recorded is invalid or left blank the Commissioning Region will be recorded as Unknown.



PQ59288 attached file
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.16 KB)

Department of Health: Overseas Aid

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which overseas development aid projects his Department plans to fund from its overseas aid budget in each of the next 10 years; and what the nature, value and predicted outcome is for each project so funded.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department does not have firm plans for the funding of overseas development aid projects for the next ten years.

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who would potentially be ineligible each year for treatment with Kadcyla trastuzumab entansine if draft guidance published by NICE on 28 December 2016 were implemented.

Nicola Blackwood: We have made no such estimate. Evidence submitted by Roche, as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal of Kadcyla, estimated that around 1,200 people with HER2-positive, unresectable, metastatic breast cancer would be eligible each year to receive Kadcyla if it were to be recommended.

General Practitioners: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of GPs who hold a special interest accreditation have that accreditation in musculoskeletal conditions.

David Mowat: The Department does not hold this information.

Primary Care Support England: Complaints

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints were made against Primary Care Support England about the transfer of patient records in each (a) region of England and (b) month since 1 September 2015.

David Mowat: NHS England has received 103 complaints concerning Primary Care Services England, which make reference to the transfer of patient records, since 1 September 2015. The table below gives a breakdown of the figures by region and month.AreaRegionNumberFebruary-2016March-2016April-2016May-2016June-2016July-2016August-2016September-2016October-2016November-2016December-2016January-2017LondonLondon3312  22177542Total 33120022177542BirminghamMidlands and East10 3 1123 DerbyshireMidlands and East6 1  131 ArdenMidlands and East2   2HertsMidlands and East11   LeicsMidlands and East41111ShropshireMidlands and East2  1  1  East Anglia and EssexMidlands and East41 3 Total 29000025213673LancashireNorth51   121 CumbriaNorth4  1111  Greater ManchesterNorth2  11Cheshire and MerseysideNorth1  1 DurhamNorth2  11Total 14000010322321WessexSouth71 111 3 South CentralSouth5 11111  South WestSouth2 1  1   South EastSouth13  1  1  1415Total 27001013224545Grand Total 103121061081216191711

West Yorkshire Central Services Agency: Complaints

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints were made against West Yorkshire Central Services about the transfer of patient records in each month from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015.

David Mowat: We do not have a record of any complaints, concerning transfer of patient records, made against the West Yorkshire Central Services Agency in this period.

Prescriptions

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of potential savings to the NHS budget of prescribing the most cost-effective inhaler medication to each NHS patient.

Nicola Blackwood: No such estimate has been made. We expect clinicians to consider the cost of a medicine in making prescribing decisions but recognise that there may be valid reasons why the prescribing of a higher cost product may sometimes be appropriate to meet the clinical needs of individual patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence supports clinically and cost effective prescribing through the production of evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals.

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) Roche on draft guidance on Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) during the consultation period.

Nicola Blackwood: Neither Ministers nor officials have had any such discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Officials have had contact with Roche about its patient access scheme proposals for trastuzumab emtansine since the consultation on NICE’s draft guidance opened on 20 December 2016.

Skin Cancer: Drugs

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of restrictions imposed by NHS England on the use of the (a) dabrafenib plus trametinib and (b) ipilimumab plus nivolumab drug combinations for use in the treatment of advanced melanoma on patient care.

Nicola Blackwood: We have made no such assessment. NHS England has advised that it has carefully translated the evidence base on which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has based its recommendations of clinical and cost effectiveness into practical clarifications which directly relate to how the recommended drug combinations are incorporated into known treatment pathways in use in England. It has advised that each set of such clarifications is in keeping with the NICE recommendations.

Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Board Papers, published on 10 January 2017, for what reasons NHS England have asked the CCG not to adjust their deficit forecast from £9.028 million to £11.989 million.

Mr Philip Dunne: This is a matter for Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS England. We understand these bodies have agreed that the forecast outturn deficit for Wirral CCG would increase from £9 million to £12 million in the Month 9 national submission.

Health Services: Finance

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS funding has been allocated to (a) South Tyneside, (b) the North East and (c) the UK in each year since 1997.

Mr Philip Dunne: Funding is not allocated by the Department on a regional basis. Overall spending limits are agreed with NHS England and other arm’s length bodies on an annual basis.National Health Service trusts are not funded directly by the Department. They are semi-autonomous organisations who fund their activity via income derived from the provision of services to commissioners.Income levels are agreed between local commissioners and providers based on levels of activity within local health economy which are inherently volatile from year to year.The Department reports total spending incurred each year by bodies within the departmental group for England, in its Annual Report and Accounts. The 2015-16 Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts can be found on the Department’s website via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539602/DH_Annual_Report_Web.pdfTotal departmental spending outturns from 2007-08 to 2015-16 can be found on page 178, annex A, Core Table 1.Spending in the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for the devolved administrations.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the estimated cost to the NHS was of accident and emergency admissions for people with diabetes complications in each of the last three years.

Nicola Blackwood: The information is not available in the format requested.

Cavendish Coalition

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial assistance his Department has provided to the Cavendish Coalition of NHS Employers.

Mr Philip Dunne: Under its contract with them, the Department funds NHS Employers to support trusts across the National Health Service in England on pay contract negotiations, staff terms and conditions of service and a wide range of advice, guidance and good practice on NHS workforce issues. The Department has not commissioned any work or provided financial support to NHS Employers in relation to the activities of the Cavendish Coalition.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average national bed occupancy rate was for (a) adult and (b) child adolescent inpatient psychiatric wards in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not held centrally.

Medical Records: Camden

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficiency benefits of the Camden Integrated Digital Record; and whether he plans to make similar software available elsewhere.

Nicola Blackwood: Integrated care records are being developed across the National Health Service with the programme of work being undertaken under the Personalised Health and Care 2020 programme of work. Camden’s strategy has been to maximise value (health outcomes per pound spent) across the system. This has focused on developing an integrated model of care through employing technological advances, of which Camden Integrated Digital Record is a key enabler.

General Practitioners: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England with severe mental health illness are registered with a GP; and how many such people had an annual physical health check in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The latest data published by NHS Digital, for 2015/16 show there were 500,451 people on the mental health Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) register across England. This is a cumulative register of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses and other patients on lithium therapy. The Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCG OIS) shows 54.3% of people registered with a general practitioner with a severe mental illness (SMI) received the complete list of physical checks in 2013/14 and 34.8% in 2014/15. Data is only available for 2013/14 and 2014/15. NHS England is exploring the reasons for the decrease in the CCG OIS data. As part of this work we are reviewing the role of financial and contractual levers and incentives such as QOF in driving performance in the delivery of physical health checks for people with SMI within primary care.

Sleeping Pills

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for sleeping tablets were dispensed in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) each region in each month of each year since 2010.

David Mowat: The available information on the number of prescription items for sleeping tablets (hypnotics) prescribed in National Health Service organisations in the Liverpool area and NHS regions, and dispensed in the community each month is in the attached table. Information is not collected at constituency level.



PQ59982 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 43.03 KB)

NHS European Office

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost was to the public purse of the NHS European Office in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

David Mowat: The Department does not hold this information as the NHS European Office is part of the NHS Confederation, an independent membership body for all organisations that commission and provide NHS service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The NHS Confederation is a registered charity whose income is generated through membership subscriptions, conferences and events and the rewards of grants and contracts.

Department of Health: Standards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2016 to Question 44971, how many performance meetings the Departmental Board has held since the publication of the NHS Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16; and how many such meetings he has attended.

David Mowat: The Secretary of State has regularly attended Departmental Board meetings since his appointment. Since the publication of the 2015-16 Annual Report, the Department is in the process of reconstituting the Board by recruiting new and additional Non-Executive Board members and the Secretary of State will attend the next meeting of that reconstituted Board. Over the last six months, one meeting of the Departmental Board has taken place, which was chaired by the Permanent Secretary.

Trastuzumab Emtansine

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women received the drug Kadcyla trastuzumab emanstine through the Cancer Drugs Fund from 2014 to 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: The number of women who have had funding approved for trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) for the treatment of HER2-positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane through the Cancer Drugs Fund in each year since 2014/15 are shown in the table. YearNumber of patients2014/157782015/16683Source: NHS England

Trastuzumab Emtansine

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to ensure that Kadcyla trastuzumab emanstine remains available on the NHS to breast cancer patients.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE is currently appraising trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) for the treatment of HER2-positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane. NICE’s final guidance to the National Health Service on whether the drug should continue to be routinely available on the NHS is expected in March 2017.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which prisons make available eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy for prison staff or prisoners; and how such therapy is funded.

Nicola Blackwood: Prisoners are entitled to the same quality of healthcare treatments and services as people in the community. Psychotherapy treatments, including eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) may be provided in any prison, where clinically recommended by an appropriate healthcare professional. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) centrally funds psychological treatments for workplace trauma for prison staff, including EMDR, according to need and across the whole NOMS prison estate. NHS England is responsible for commissioning prisoner healthcare and all treatment and services provided to prisoners are funded from its overall budget.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans for the musculoskeletal component to the Workforce and Wellbeing Charter on best practice to be published.

Nicola Blackwood: The national workplace wellbeing standard, published in 2014, includes many elements which support the reduction of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), such as increasing physical activity and weight reduction. However, there is no MSD specific standard. The standard can be found at:http://www.wellbeingcharter.org.uk/media/Dropbox/Charter%20standards.pdf Voluntary local employer accreditation schemes, such as the Workplace Wellbeing Charter and Better Work Award, can enhance the national standards by adding a local MSD component if appropriate based on local population needs.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: EU Law

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which EU directives relating to her Department's responsibilities are awaiting transposition into UK law.

Caroline Dinenage: There are no EU directives relating to the work of the Government Equalities Office awaiting transposition into UK law.